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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.8.19

Who is speaking and story frame

द्वैपायनो भगवानप्रबोधाद्

बुद्धस्तु पाषण्डगणप्रमादात् ।

कल्कि: कले: कालमलात् प्रपातु

धर्मावनायोरुकृतावतार: ॥ १९ ॥

dvaipāyano bhagavān aprabodhād

buddhas tu pāṣaṇḍa-gaṇa-pramādāt

kalkiḥ kaleḥ kāla-malāt prapātu

dharmāvanāyoru-kṛtāvatāraḥ

Translation

May the Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Vyāsadeva protect me from all kinds of ignorance resulting from the absence of Vedic knowledge. May Lord Buddhadeva protect me from activities opposed to Vedic principles and from laziness that causes one to madly forget the Vedic principles of knowledge and ritualistic action. May Kalkideva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared as an incarnation to protect religious principles, protect me from the dirt of the Age of Kali.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Receive Knowledge and Surrender to Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Śrīla Vyāsadeva compiled Vedic literature for the benefit of all human society. Consulting these books protects us from the reactions of ignorance.

  2. 2

    Lord Buddha’s mission was to stop animal killing carried out on the plea of Vedic sacrifice. Taking shelter of him helps one avoid misusing Vedic injunctions.

  3. 3

    Real religious principles teach surrender to the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, not the manufacture of new religious paths. Kalkideva appears to vanquish atheists and save the Lord’s devotees.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus he actually saved people who acted according to Vedic principles.
  • Now, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, many irreligious principles are in effect, and as Kali-yuga advances, many pseudo religious principles will certainly be introduced, and people will forget the real religious principles enunciated by Lord Kṛṣṇa before the beginning of Kali-yuga, namely principles of surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord.
  • Even most people who claim to belong to the Vedic system of religion are actually opposed to the Vedic principles.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Offense and dread → Moral reckoning. Heroic power does not guarantee inner freedom.

Chapters 7–10 of Canto 6: Indra, Bṛhaspati and the emergence of Vṛtrāsura. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 8: The Nārāyaṇa-kavaca Shield

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

One also has to think of the fish incarnation, Vāmana, Kūrma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, Paraśurāma, Rāmacandra (the elder brother of Lakṣmaṇa), Nara-Nārāyaṇa, Dattātreya (an empowered incarnation), Kapila, Sanat-kumāra, Hayagrīva, Nāradadeva (the incarnation of a devotee), Dhanvantari, Ṛṣabhadeva, Yajña, Balarāma, Vyāsadeva, Buddhadeva and Keśava. One should also think of Govinda, the master of Vṛndāvana, and one should think of Nārāyaṇa, the master of the spiritual sky.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.8
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dvaipāyanaḥŚrīla Vyāsadeva, the giver of all Vedic knowledge
  2. bhagavānthe most powerful incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  3. aprabodhātfrom ignorance of the śāstra
  4. buddhaḥ tualso Lord Buddha
  5. pāṣaṇḍa-gaṇaof atheists creating disillusionment for innocent persons
  6. pramādātfrom the madness
  7. kalkiḥLord Kalki, the incarnation of Keśava
  8. kaleḥof this Kali-yuga
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “religious”, “principles”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “protect”, “protects”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “absence”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I allowing revealed knowledge to guide me toward surrender to Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read a short passage from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam today with the intention of receiving guidance rather than confirming your own opinions.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayReceive Knowledge and Surrender to KṛṣṇaThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 6.8.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.